Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Wife and I hiked Camelback Mountain this last Saturday morning. I decided to leave the camera at home, thinking that birding would be minimal and collateral damage considerable. The hike was very nice. It was energizing and not unduly hot. It also provided a great excuse to spoil ourselves with restaurant brunch afterwards. However, I was totally off about the birds. Despite the summer heat having driven away many birds, the mountain top was teeming. We saw over a dozen ruby-throated hummingbirds, some wrens, blue-gray gnatcatchers (a first!), and even some fleeting glimpses of a western tanager and a loggerhead shrike.
I hope to follow up soon with some pictures.